Disaster Relief

Below, POJ Disaster Relief moderator Brown Pearson shares how the team was able to support residents in Western North Carolina.

On October 26th, 23 of us from all over the Presbytery (and some from even beyond) set out for our 6+ hour drive into the heart of the devastation from Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina.  Delayed by mudslides on the interstate and pockets of road that had caved in, we arrived at our host church in time to set up camp inside the building and have dinner.  The next day, after church, we set out to check out the jobs we had signed up to handle. The devastation of the area was far beyond your wildest imagination. Houses had floated off their foundations and had moved several hundred yards before landing on their new resting spots. Trees and boulders had been tossed around like sticks and pebbles. Steel bridges had been bent up like a pipe cleaner. Driveways and roads were hard to navigate. We also, unfortunately, found that many of the folks who need help need a skid steer or a bobcat first.

Monday, we started tackling the list of homes that had work that was doable without heavy equipment. We took two steps forward and one back all week as we went to jobs only to find that we needed heavy equipment. Nonetheless, we found 18 jobs where we could help clear a driveway, get the mud off the side of a house, throw out the wet carpet and vinyl flooring, cut out wet drywall, sort through mud-soaked personal contents, find the owner's valuables, and so much more. We ended the week logging over 600 man-hours of work.

We spent a fair amount of time listening to residents share their harrowing stories of the day the hurricane hit. Our team is coached in listening and in providing comfort to those folks who have experienced this trauma, and we rejoice in their celebration of some small but important steps that we provided toward their recovery - not just of their homes, but of their hearts. We left knowing we had had a positive impact and with the promise that we would return.

To volunteer or ask questions, email ministry leader Brown Pearson or call him at 804-347-8895.